Pointe-à-Callière
The Pointe-à-Callière is the founding site of the Ville-Marie settlement , from which the Canadian city of Montreal later developed. It is a small triangular headland at the confluence of a brook that has since disappeared into the St. Lawrence River . It is named after Louis-Hector de Callière , Governor of Montreal and New France.
A few meters north of the Pointe-à-Callière is the Place Royale with the old customs house .
history
On May 17, 1642, Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve and Jeanne Mance founded Fort Ville-Marie with around forty colonists . The fort was demolished in 1688 and the governor's residence was built on the property. From 1765 onwards there were various commercial buildings, especially warehouses. In 1860 the Royal Insurance Company built a new building. The federal government bought it a few years later and used it for customs administration. After the building was badly damaged in a fire in 1947, it was demolished in 1951.
The property then served as a car park for three decades until the city created a small park there in 1982. Extensive archaeological investigations took place from 1989. In the same year construction began on a new building called Éperon ("spur"), which opened on May 17, 1992 on the occasion of the 350th anniversary of Montreal. Its design is reminiscent of the old insurance building and houses the Musée Pointe-à-Callière , which presents the history of the city and archaeological finds.
Web links
- Description of the Pointe-à-Callière (French)
- Tourist information (French)
- Musée Pointe-à-Callière (French / English)
Coordinates: 45 ° 30 '9.9 " N , 73 ° 33' 14.9" W.